"It’s a miracle he’s still alive"
The family of Tom Niland has revealed he has regained consciousness.
The pensioner was attacked in his home in Skreen, Co Sligo on January 18th.
He was left in a coma after a burglary, but doctors feared he'd never recover.
However, his family says he has finally regained consciousness.
His unexpected recovery has stunned both the family and his doctors.
The 73-year-old was on life support but is now making progress.
A family member told
The Mirror, "There has been a small bit of progress in that he’s conscious.
“He is responding to people, to the nurses, and so on. He opened only one of his eyes as the other is damaged and he will probably never see out of it again."
“It is a miracle recovery and it’s a miracle he’s still alive.
His family almost had to turn his life support off just a few weeks ago, but he is now slowly recovering.
“Now we’re at the stage where he’s quite conscious and aware of his surroundings.”
"The fact Tom has got this far is brilliant.”
Tom is a much-loved member of the local community so there's no doubt this news has lifted their spirits.
The Skreen community was horrified when the farmer was attacked earlier this year.
Three masked men broke into Tom's home and brutally attacked him in January.
Francis Harmon (54), John Clarke (33), and John Irving (28) were all charged in connection with the burglary and assault.
After the horrifying attack, Tom managed to crawl from his home and got the attention of passing motorists.
He is currently being treated in hospital in Galway.
